Improvement in nailing-machines



'UNTED STATES PATENT QEEIGE.`

LYMAN R. BLAKE, OF BOSTON, AND ASA S. LIBBY, OF LAWRENCE, MASS.

IMPROVEMENT IN NAlLlNG-MACHINES.

Specification forming part'of Letters Patent No. 76,150, dated March 31, 1868.

sutlicient to enable those skilled inthe art to practice it. y

This invention relates to certain novelties of construction, of combination, of arrangement, and of detail, whereby we are enabled, loy the employment of mechanism, to secure with ease and dispatch the soles of boots and shoes to their uppers with nails, or pins,'or pegs of metal, or other suitable material, so as to produce the manufacture patented to said Blake August 8, 1865, in the United States, under the number 49,219.

This invention consists, 1n one particular, in combining, with a mechanism which inserts nails or pins oi' metal or other suitable material, by driving, (by pressure or percussion.) a device which, from its inclined form and arrangemnt, is termed a horn, and which acts as a spport for the work and as an anvil on which he blow or thrust ot' the driver is ultimatelyreceived, and on which the nails or pins may be clinched or slightly enlarged on their entered ends.

In another particular this invention consists, in the combination named, of such an arrangement of the horn as will permit ot its being turned either with the boot or shoe, or within the 'boot or shoe thereon, the point of the horn lleing ot' such width and thickness that it may be entered into the smallest space between the vamp and the inner sole, and the shoe orv boot being presented, fed, and turned on and with the horn in a manner similar to that practicedby operators on the machine know ir as the McKay sole-sewing machine. In'this machine the thickness of the parts of the boot or shoe are measured or callipered between the upper surface of the point ot the horn and the under surface ot' the presser-foot, which bears on the outer surface ot' the sole; and another item of our invention consists in the useot' a mechanism which is operated primarily from the presser-foot, or an instrument bearing on the surface of the sole, and by the position of said foot or instrument determines automatically the length to which the nails or pins shall be cut, so that the nails or pins shall in all and variable thicknesses be long enough to reach through the stock, with a little extra length for clinching or heading` if' desirable. And, with relation to this item of our invention, it consists, further, in combination therewith ot' means for causing all the nails or pins to exceed ort'all short of the exact thickness of the materials united to any amount desired by the operator, which amount is determined by his adjustment of the mech anism.

Our invention bination, with mechanism by which nails or pins are fed and cut ot't' from a long wire, strip,

or rod, of means for driving` such nails or pins in a direction inclined longitudinally, or in direction ot' the general line of the fastenings, in contradistinction to an inclination sidewise or laterally, or toward or from the edge ofthe sole, though the arrangement` may be such that the nails or pins will be driven with a lateral as well as with a longitudinal inclination, the lateral inclination being given toward the center of the shoe to insure the entry of the nails or pins into the inner sole, even when they are driven from near the edge of the outer sole.

In connection with the longitudinal inclination given to the nails or pins, our invention further consists in combining with mechanism for cutting them from av wire, strip, or bar of considerable length, a means for driving the nails or pins in opposite inclined directions, with the inclination in the general direction of the row or line made by the driving.

Another part of our invention consists in means which operate always to bring the driver down to the variable height of the snrface of the work, or, in other words, to a variable distance from the surface of the horn- 1 that is, a distance above the horn corresponding with the thickness of the material at the point to be operated upon, no matter what that thickness may be, within reasonable limits, or the ordinary range of variation in the thickness of boot and shoe soles at their dif- `further consists ot' the comferent parts, not including the thickness of raised heels, as contradistinguished from spring-heels, which raised heels it -is `not intended to secure by this machine to the soles. In connection with this part of the invention, it may here be stated that, while the stroke of the driver may commence and end at different heights, the range of motion between the loe-y ginning and ending of each stroke is constant, and is, in amount at least, equal to, and may be in excess of, the length of the longest nail or pin designed to be driven by the machine.

Of the drawings illustratingan embodiment of our invention there is onv Sheet-lafront elevation ofa machine containing our improvements. On Sheet 2 there is a side elevation of the same; and on Sheet 3 there'is a plan'of said machine.

Sundry views of details or detached portions of the machine may be referred to here-` after as A B, and -so 011.

It may here be stated that the drawings show the parts of a full-sized machine,-except that the frame is omitted and the hornv is shown as dwarfed.

p The machine is organized to makeuse of wire, which. may be flat instead of round if desired, from which the nails vor pins are au-A tomatically cut oft' vin the machine to the f lengths required by the varying th-icknessesof the work. n

0n the main shaft, driven by the balancewheel in the direction indicated by the arrow thereon, are located al1 the cams, except'one, which are employed to give motion to yvarious parts -of the mechanism, a being the cam which works the wire-cutters, b'the cam which works the shoe-feed, and c the `cam which works the presser-foot, there being also on said shaft an eccentric, e, which voperates the nail-driver, and a gear which meshes into a gear formed on cam d, whichv operates to rotate vthe nail-tube.

To aid in tracing the' operations of the somewhatcomplex mechanism in this machine, we will, before describing it in detail, give a short statement of what is effected thereby: The horn or inclined anvil f is made capable of rotation, and with a boot or shoe slipped upon it, sole uppermost, is swung around by manipulation ofthe operator, so as to allow the shoe to be moved by what we will term, for convenience, the sole-feed, which is the device marked g, and which, after each operation of driving a nail or pin in the sole, feeds or moves the latter the distance which it is desired to have exist between the centers of two adjacent nails or pins, the operator turning the horn with the shoe, and also in it, in the manner Well understood by operators of the machines now known publicly as the McKay sole-sewing machine.

There is a presser-foot, marked h, which, except at the time of that movement of g which feeds the shoe, presses the sole down upon the horn, the presser-foot at the time the shoe is fed being lifted automatically by the mechanism, and automatically, after the feed movement of the sole is effected, descends and rests on the surface of the sole. Provision-is also made by which, in some positions of. the mechanism, the feeder g and the presser-foot h can both together be raised by the operator so as to facilitate the placing upon or the taking oil' from the horn a boot or shoe.

Located concentrically`with respect to the upwardvcontinuation of the axis about which the horn rotates is a tube, fi, through which wire is led, from a coil above the machine, to the device which seizes and draws down to ,be delivered to the cutters such lengths of the wire as may be called for by the thickness of the sole at the'place where the wire is to be driven. A The piece containing vthe wirefeeder is marked j. The tube t' operates to work the driver, this being located within the piece 7c, which is arranged to be vibrated with tube t' one hundred and veighty degrees, after the 'driving of 'each pin or nail, there being at and in the lower end of 7c a pivoted tube for reception of the pins as cut from the wire, said tube being' then substantially in the axial line of tube t', and being afterward, by proper provisions t'or the purpose, swung or inclined to coliform to the inclined direction of the driver. It is by the rotation of piece k and the movement described as given to the tube in the end thereof that, in connection with the operation ot' the inclined driver, cause the nails or pins to be driven in oppositely-inclined directions from each other,v while the sole-feeding device determines the distance apart of the nails.

In tracing the'mechanism in its construction and operation, we will, for the sake of clearness, endeavor'to treat of each part separately, as when separately understood it will be easier to understand the joint operations of all the parts', and. their connection one with the other.

rlhe piece k is so fitted on the tube tthat, whileone may be moved longitudinally with respect to .the other, they both turn together, say, about one hundred and eighty degrees, said.v turning being ei'ected through the medium of the long-toothed pinion l, on the l upper part of k, into which pinion meshes the segment-gearlm, this being worked from cam d. through the arm n, link o, and arm p which forms part `of the segment m, said arm p being slotted so that the extent of movement of the segment may be accurately adjusted. At about the middle of piece k, it is slotted through on one side, so that an arm, q, on the end'of tube i can project for the purpose of working the slide r 0r carrier of the nail-driver, which is inclined with respect to the axis of the tube, the arm g having from its lower surface a dovetailed groove, in which fits a dovetailed connection made on the upper end of slide r, so that as slide 1 is forced up and down in its inclined socket or ways made in the piece 7c, and thus the axis of tube i.

v16,150A s moves toward and from. the centerof the tube, the connection between the arm q and slide r is maintained.

Oppositethe inclined part of k, its material is cut away to give room'for the piece j, which carries the wire feeder, so that it can operate in the axial line of tube t'. The slide r carries in its end a wire whichI acts to impinge upon the upper end of the nails, or the cut-oit' pieces of wire, to force them through the tube which is pivoted in a slot in the end of r, and into the sole. This tube is marked s, and its lower end bears upon the sole when the nails are driven therein; it is pivoted in k, so that its bore may vbe brought into line with the axis of the tube i, and so that the wire may be fed diiectly into it, and so that said tube s may be inclined to correspond with the inclination of slide 1' and the driver carried thereby, so that said driver may in its reciprocations enter said tube s and drive out therefrom any nails4 or pins therein. Pivoted within the lower and inclined part of lo is a lever, t, said lever having pins in its ends, one entering a cam-groovey in the nail-driver carrier 'r, and the other entering a slot in the tube-piece s, so that when the grooved piece fr is reciprocated the lever t is vibrated and causes the tube-piece s to assume a vertical position for reception ofthe nails, or an inclined position for the driving of the same, the vertical position of the nailtube being had when the driver-carrier is at the top ot' its stroke, and theinclinedposition of the nail-tube being obtained from ,the rst part ofthe downward movement of the drivercarrier. f y

The mechanism thus far, described is best shown in Sheet 2, partly in dotted lines where inclosedor covered by other parts of the machine. 'ln piece k, and above the tube-piece s, in a mortise parallel tothe axis on which the nail-tube s vibrates, are the cutters ru, which sever the short pieces from the coil ot' wire, thus forming the nails. These cutters are of steel, and can move tciward and from They are formed to an edge by a bevel on the upper side, which makes the wire pins orvnails square on the ends which are to receive the action of the nail-driver, and chisel-ed ged with a bevel on each side at the ends of the nails which enter the leather. The edges of the cutters are prevented from destroying cach other by 4abutments left on the cutting-ends. These cutters are forced apart by the wire itself' as it is fed downward, and are made to cut oti the wire by the grasp of of jaws t, which are made by the action of cama, through the lever w, link lever y, and links z z, to move, guidedA in ways, toward and from the cutters.

The detail drawing on Sheet 3, marked A, is a plan showing the lever yl, links z z, the cutter-jaws c n, and the ways ln which they slide.

The presser-foot h bears on the surface 'of the sole in the vicinity of the place where the nail is driven, and, as shown in the drawing,

may partially surround the end ofthe nailtube s, where this bears on the surface of the sole. The presser-foot is worked from its cam c through the lever b1, pivoted on the fulcrumpost el, and carrying in its forked end a frame, d1, which contains the nut el, having ratchetteeth formed on its periphery, the threads in the nut being formed to it and movel freely on the sharply-pitched threads formed on the upper end of the rod f1, to which the presserfoot is connected. The frame all carries two pawls ()1 g1, which are kept in gear with the teeth of the ratchet-nut el by springs, till, by mechanism to be referred to beyond, the said pawls are removed from the teeth of the ratchet, when the spring which is seen located around the rod f1, and beneath the frame di, acts to cause .the rod f1 and the presser-foot to drop, it' not then resting at the time when the irame (l1, is at the lowest position which f it can receive from action of cam c, on the sole, the descent of -rod f1 causing rotative movement of the ratchet-nut. As the rod f1 has a rectangular part which is litted to slide in suitable guides in the frame-work, and cannot, therefore, rotate, it will be clear that if the forked end of the lever bl vibratesdownward, when the presser-foot rests on the surface of the sole, the ratchet-nut will turn on the screwthrea'ds on rod f-l,'whether the pawls are left free to act on the ratchet-nut or Ilot, the ratchet-teeth on the nut being inclined in such a direction as to permit such rotation ot' the nut in the direction which will then be caused. But when said end of said lever vibrates upward, then the pawls hold the ratchet-nut from turning and the presser-foot will be raised by lever b1. Thus it will be seen that the presserfoot is raised a fixed distance from any thickness of work which may rest upon the end of the horn, and it will be shown hereafterhow the variable positions which the presser-foot is thus made .to assume, consequent upon the thiol-:ness of the work, are made to cause the driver to operate to and from variable points, (but always moving a constant distance or length of st'roke,\ t) suit the varying thickness of the work on the horn, and also how the position ot' the presser-foot on thick or thin work is made to control the lengths of the nails or pins which are fed and cut off from the wire.

By allowing the fulcrum-post cl to move more or less by means of adjustable checknuts, which may be applied thereto, more or less of the entire throw of the presser-foot cam @may be utilized in lifting-the presser-foot, and thus its range of motion may be varied, though the throw of the cam is constant.

Fixed to the rockershaft kl is a rocker-arm, g2, which vibrates at such a time that it acts through the link 7'2 to pull the pawls'gl1 out of gear with the ratchet-teethon the nut el at the time when the nut-frame d1 is at its lowest position, so that the presser foot may then drop down on the surface of the work tohold it on the horn under the act-ion of the naildriving mechanism. On the two parts oi' this and'bracket h2, so that it will be seen that the higher the polink l7'2 are coiled springs, which always act to keep the pawlsin gear with the teeth of the ratchet except when the link'pulls. on the pawls,which, in yieldingor moving out of the ratchetfteeth, compress said springs.

The solefeeder gis worked from its cam b through the lever h1, adjustable link tl, rocker jl, rocker shaft k1, rocker l1, and links m1 m1, the feeder g being hung to a link, n', working on a pin in a slot in the presser-rod f1, the upper end of said link u' being slotted, Aso that it can ri'se and fall on the pin, the feeder be ingintluenced in its movement by inclined slots in pieces o', fixed to the presser-toot, as

v pins p in the feeder g t in said slots, and the movement'of said feeder g is still further affected bythe inclined shape ot' the presseri'oot itself, and hy the retractile spring q1, which tends to keep the point of the feeder closely against the inclined surface of the presser-foot. i

When the rod f1 is lifted by manipulation of the lever r1 by the operator, said rod f1 and lever r1 being connected by the link s1, the feeder g is also lifted therewith through the connection of the pins'p in the pieces o.

The tube z' is guided in bearings t1, fixedfto a trame, u,which is capable of vertical movement. The reciprocations of tube z' are caused from the eccentric c through its strap and arm t', the lever uv', and link m. The lever fw is pivoted to a vertical post, y', capable of some limited vertical movement. On the top plate e" ot' the machine,'a1id on either side of the t'ulcrum support y', are pieces a2, having inclined tijmgncs or guides, on which slides, as a carriage, the piece b2, the top and bottom of which p iece are parallel to each other. In said piece b2 are inclined grooves c2, fitting the inclined guidesv mentioned, and the piece b2 is mortised through, vertically and longi' tudinally, so that it may be permitted to slide between the adjustable shoulders d2 on the tulcrum-post y', said shoulders, by their contact with the upper and lower surfaces of b2, inliuencing the motion transmitted from the eccentric to the tube t. Thelpiece b2 is con-l nected with the presser-bar f1 by means of the link' e2, bent lever f2, pivoted on the fulcrum-post c1 of the presser-lever b1, link i2, secured to the-presser-bar f1,

sition of the presser foot the higher will be the upper and lower surfaces of b2, and the, higher will be the positions taken by the fulcrum of the lever w', which.` of course, will result in a corresponding change of position in all the parts operated through said lever, including the end of the nail-tube s, which is about in the plane of the operative face of the presser-toot.

The tube thas upon it a coupling, t2; secured between two adjustable collars, s2, said coupling beingconnected to the lever w by thel link In forcing down tube z' the springs r2 r2 are compressethwhich compression reacts when link a" ascends and aids in elevating the tube t'. The presence and action of these springs during the ascent of tube t' keeps the fulcrulnpost y from falling, and the upper shoulder d2 from contact with the upper surface of b2, till the expansion of said springs r2 is eX- pended, when w', being no longer supported at both ends, acts as a lever pulled down by the eccentrica, and lifts tube i the remaining distance which it has to move, the fnlcrumof lever w lfalling till arrested by the upper surface of b2.

The slide or frame a is moved upward by contact of the upper collar s2 with the under side of the upper bearing t1 of the tube i, and

is moved downward through the medium of the springs r2 till varrested by contact of the lower end of piece 7c with the presser-foot L, the tubes and the .parts to which it is connected being moved vertically by and with the frame a.

The throw of the eccentric being constant, though not all used, by reason of the play permitted the fulcrum'rod y', it follows that the movement of tube t', and ot the nail-driver thereby operated, is constant in amount,

'though stopping and starting from dierent points, according as the piece b2 assumes a higher or a lower position in accordance with the position of the presser-foot on thick or thin stock placed on the end of the horn f.

To change the amount of movement given the tube i by the eccentric e, adjust the position of the collars d2.

The presserfoot has given to it a positive lift of an amount greater than the ditference in the thickness of any material likely to be presented at the differentpoints where any two adjacent nails are to be inserted. The time of the lift of the presser-foot is just before the work is -fed or moved on the horn, and the pawls g1, being then in the teeth of the ratchet-nut, the lever b1 lifts the presserfoot as far as it lifts the nut-frame d1. When the stock has been `fed 011 the horn, then the nutframe assumes the lowest position which it can be made to assume by mere movement of lever b1, and then the pawls g1 are thrown out of gear with Vthe ratchet-teeth on the nut, and the spring k2 around the presser-har throws the presser-foot down on the stock, the nut in the frame being rotated by thcl descent of the presser-bar, the stock on the horn being held by the pressure exerted by said spring 7a2. After the short end of lever b1 has vibrated downward, and after the descent of the prcsser-foot on the stock, the pawls are returned intov gear with the ratchet-teeth on the nut, so that at the next upward movement of said short endl of said lever the presser-foot is again lifted to allow the feed-mo vement ofthe stock on the horn.

,'lhus it will be seen that the presser-foot acts to clampand to relieve 'the stock from clamp on the horn, also that the lift ofthe presser-foot is uniform in amount from any thickness of stockthat is, the lift of the presser-foot is a constant measurement from variable points or surfaces.

Whenever thick stock succeeds to thin by the operation of the feed, thepresser-foot in its descent rests on the stock before the nutframe completes its downward stroke, and dllring the time while the nut-frame moves down, when the presser-foot and bar does not move, the nut rotates in the direction permitted by the shape of the ratchet-teeth.

In many respects this machine is based upon the machine well known to boot and shoe manufacturers as the McKay sole-sew- Y ing machine, which our invention has changed from a machine adapted to sewing with thread and a needle to a machine for Adriving nails, pins, or pegs, for the purpose of fastening soles to boots and shoes. In the said McKay machine the needle, when it pulled up the thread, kept the stock up against the. lower face of the presser-foot. As we have no thread, we mount our horn on a spring, so that it can have a small amount of vertical movement to follow the lift of the presser-foot, the horn, however, resisting solidly the thrust of the presser-foot and the driving of the nail. The amount of spring movement given to the horn is but slight, say about one-eighth of an inch in a full-sized working machine.

vA spring is shown on Sheet l, so placed under the horn as to cause it to rise when the presser-foot is lifted.

To effect the feed of the wire to be cut into nails, the following devices are employed: The arm j contains a yielding or spring nipper or pawl, which, after moving up over the wire, seizes it and draws it down, forcing it between the cutters to be cutoff thereby. Said arm j is fixed on a sleeve, c3, which can slide on a guide, b3, to effect which sliding movement there is ap- -plied the spring c3, which draws up sleeve a3,

which is thrust down by link d3, operated by lever e3, which is moved by contact with a pin Y or roll on projection f3, secured to the bottom of and moving with the frame a', theend of said projection being slotted, so that the friction-roll may be moved-with reference to the fulcrum of said lever to modify the movement thereof. The movement of the projection f3 is, through the leverage shown, and when all of said movement is utilized, enough to produce a feed movement sufficient for the longest pin or nail for the thickest stock.

To utilize all of the movement of said projection in producing the feed of the wire, adjust the collar g3 on the post-guide b3, so-.that when the presser-foot is resting in the highest position designed for it on the sole the spring c3 shall bring the upper end of the sleeve a3 into contact with the collar g3, and at the same time the pin or roller in the projection f3 into contact with the lever e3, then the upward movement of projection J3 will all be utilized in operating to feed the wire. Then, when the presser-foot rests on thinner stock, the sleevea3 will remain in contact with the collar g3, and,-as the pin in projection f3 will then have to move some distance before striking the lever e3, the amount of nail-feed movement will be lessened by reason, of the lost motion between said lever and the pin in projection f3.

When the collar g3 is adjusted, so that the nails are fed to be cut oft' in exact accordance with the thickness of the sole, lowering `the collar g3 will cause all the nails to fall short of said thickness, and raising it will cause them to exceed it.

0n Sheet 2 may be seen inl dotted lines the pawl-lever k2, which is pivoted in the'piecej, the long arm of the lever being provided with the spring l2. On inspection of the drawing, it will be seen that the arrangement of said pawl-lever and its spring is such that when the piece j moves upward the pawl will slip upward on the wire, and when the piece j moves downward, the pawl 7a2 will bite upon the wire and feed it downward.

To stop the operation of the wire-feed there is provided a bent lever, m2, which the operator can manipulate to throw the feeding end ofthe pawl 7a2 away from the wire.

In the drawings, the tube@ and the parts connected therewith for the purpose of driving the nails are shown as arranged so as to drive the nails about parallel with the edges of the soles in which they are inserted, butin practice we shall incline the ltop of tube i outward, this inclination of said tube, and a similar inclination of the other parts directly operative in the driving ofthe nails, operatin g to incline the nails toward the center of the shoe.

We vclaim`- 1. A work supporting horn, substantially as described, in combination with a mechanism which operates to drive nails or'pins by pressure or percussion.

2. In the aforesaid combination, arranging the horn so that it can be rotated.

3. In the aforesaid combination, arranging the horn so that it can yield and move in a vertical direction, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the presser-foot, of mechanism which operates, by reason of any change in height at which the presserfoot rests on the stock, to automatically cut nails or pins from material supplied for that purpose to a length proportioned to the thickness of the work at the place where the presserfoot operates.

5. In combination with mechanism by' which nails are supplied to the action of a nail or pin driving mechanism, means for automatically driving the nails in a direction which is inclined in the general direction of the row of driven nails.

6. Means for automatically driving each nail in an inclined direction opposite to the inclination of the driven nail preceding, substantially as described.

7. Combining with the presser-foot or other' device resting on the surface of the stock, and tion to the surface of the stock at each de- With the nail-driver, means for automatically scent of the driver.

changing the position of .the operative end of LYMAN R. BLAKE. the driver, so that the poinL- to Which said end ASA S. LIBBY.

will descend at euch stroke will depend upon Witnesses:

the thickness of' the stock at the point where J. B. CROSBY,

operated upon, and will have a definite rele FRANCIS GOULD. 

